Nothing actually stands between saying, “The river sang,” and “It was as if the river sang,” other than a set of rigid rules that forbids the former from being more than a metaphor. -Fr. Stephen Freeman

Monday, October 15, 2007

Hay Is for Horses

In first grade we had a “practice teacher,” as we called them, named Miss Bonita.

I suppose she was in my life for a semester or less, but perhaps because first grade was such a big transition, she made a big impression on me.

I remember her saying, “ ‘Hey’ is for horses,” if we forgot and said, “Hey, Miss Bonita!” I tended to be a very submissive child, and my guess is that I did this once and with her response felt that I had committed a terrible act of rudeness. And probably never said it again, I was so eager to please.

This comes to mind with these photos taken a couple of weeks ago on the way to Brownsville, where I met my sister for a visit.

I had never seen hay traveling down the highway, so I thought the one truck an oddity. Then came another, and another, and another.

If Miss Bonita had been in the car, I just might have said, “Hey, look at all that hay!”

About Me

"Love all God's creation, the whole and every grain of sand in it. Love every leaf, every ray of God's light. Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day." ~Dostoevski, Brothers Karamazov